New Libertaria
Commonwealth Of New Libertaria New Libertaria is a medium sized, somewhat developed, and established nation at 174 days old with citizens primarily of Dutch ethnicity whose religion is Mixed. Its technology is first rate and its citizens marvel at the astonishing advancements within their nation. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes and many despise their government as a result. The citizens of New Libertaria work diligently to produce Aluminum and Lumber as tradable resources for their nation. It is a mostly neutral country when it comes to foreign affairs. It will usually only attack another nation if attacked first. New Libertaria is currently researching nuclear technology for the use of nuclear power plants but believes nuclear weapons should be banned. Plans are on the way within New Libertaria to open new rehabilitation centers across the nation and educate its citizens of the dangers of drug use. New Libertaria allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. New Libertaria believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizen's right to speak freely about their government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. New Libertaria will not make deals with another country that has a history of inhuman treatment of its citizens. Governmental System Of New Libertaria The current governmental system of New Libertaria is classified as a Capitalist Republic. It is a pentacameral parliamentary system with one Upper House known as the Circularum and four Lower Houses. The Circularum (Upper House) The Circularum consists of 360 members who are called Senators. Each Senator is chosen to serve in the Circularum by first being elected or appointed to one of the four lower houses. The current proportion of the Senators consists of 180 Senators chosen from the House Of Electors, 45 Senators chosen from the Chamber Of Commerce, 45 Senators Chosen from the Ecumenical Council, and 45 Senators chosen from the Military Conference. The Circularum meets to chose a presiding officer who is known as a Chancellor. The body operates on a parliamentary system and passes legislation. All legislation, with the exception of the national budget, originates in the Circularum. Once passed by the body, all legislation is submitted for review by the four lower houses. Each of the lower houses has varying degrees of veto power. The Chamber Of Commerce is granted a full veto, while each of the other lower houses is granted one-third of a veto. Legislation can be vetoed either by the Chamber (direct veto) or by the other houses acting together in unison (common cause veto). A direct veto can be overturned by either a two-thirds vote of the Circularum or a majority vote in two of the three Minor Lower Houses. A common cause veto can be overturned by a three-fourths vote of the Circularum. A unique feature of debate in the Circularum is related to the unique circular shape of the chamber, in that Senators are seated in concentric rings of seating. Rather than project outward from a speaker’s podium, the speeches are presented in a “theater in the round” style. The Majority Coalition and Cabinet sits closest to the center of the chamber, while the Minority Coalition is seated on the outer sections. This has led to the phrase Inner Circle being used to describe the most powerful members of the Circularum. Chamber Of Commerce (Supreme Lower House) The Chamber Of Commerce is the Supreme Lower House and has the ability of direct veto. This body also has the responsibility of determining the national budget. There are currently 270 members on the Chamber of Commerce. The members of the Chamber Of Commerce are appointed from three Non-Governmental Organizations. One-third of membership is appointed by the Council On Industrial Policy (COIP), an organization of corporate interests consisting of major leaders in New Libertarian industry. One-third of membership is chosen from the National Federation Of Independent Business (NFIB), an organization representing the interests of small business and entrepreneurs. One-third of membership is appointed by the National Federation of Organized Labor (NFOL), an organization representing organized labor and union leaders who are chosen in free and open elections. The Chamber Of Commerce meets annually to appoint its 45 members to the Circularum. Once it has chosen its 45 delegates to the Circularum, the remaining 225 members have the ability to vote on legislation submitted via the veto process. The remaining 225 members will also be responsible for creating the national budget. House Of Electors (Minor Lower House) The House Of Electors is the Lower House responsible for the vast majority of Senator in the Circularum. Members of this body are referred to by the title of Elector. The House Of Electors consists of 900 members, with 180 of those being appointed to the Upper House while 720 members remain in the House Of Electors. This body has one-third of a veto on all legislation. The process for determining the makeup of the House Of Electors is a two-part electoral process. The nation of New Libertaria is divided into 600 Legislative Districts. Each district engages in direct election of Electors. Individuals winning election by direct in-district vote are seated in the House. On the same ballot, voters cast a vote for party affiliation. This election determines the proportional breakdown of the actual House, with each party publishing party lists. In order to receive representation, any political party must receive 2.5 percent of the party vote in order to receive seats. After the 600 Electors chosen by district are seated, the remaining 300 seats are apportioned to meet the proportion determined in the party phase of the election. After each election, the House Of Electors meets to choose the 180 members who will be Senators in the Circularum. The remaining 720 members of the House are tasked with two responsibilities. Some members of the House are appointed to the Standing Review Committees. These committees meet to critique and review legislation from the Circularum, either issuing a Unified Report (which is standard for non-controversial legislation) or a Majority and Minority Report (standard for controversial legislation). They also coordinate efforts with the other Minor Houses in Common Cause Vetoes. Other members of the House are appointed to the Petition Initiative Committee. This committee can recommend a national referendum on any issue that is submitted by petition by citizens. In order to submit a petition, a citizen must obtain the signatures of ten percent of the current population. Once obtained, the petition is submitted to the Petition Initiative Committee. If four-fifths of the committee agree, the measure is placed on the ballot for a direct election by citizenry, with a simple majority necessary for enacting a law and two-thirds vote for a Constitutional amendment. Ecumenical Council (Minor Lower House) The Ecumenical Council of New Libertaria is a body consisting of 600 members which meets to elect 45 Senators to the Circularum. The process of choosing the membership of the Ecumenical Council is based on proportional representation determined by the process of census. Each religious group is apportioned membership based on the affiliation of religious identification within the population. Given the diverse population of New Libertaria, current leadership in the Ecumenical Council is held by the Sikh Society Of New Libertaria which replaced the Affiliated Santeria Society & Council Of Voodoo Practitioners. Some have advocated for a change to the Constitution which would create a Great Temple, which would eliminate hierarchical leadership and accommodate greater power sharing among religious leaders on the Council. This body has one-third of a veto on all legislation. Military Conference (Minor Lower House) The Military Conference is a Minor Lower House which appoints 45 members of the Circularum. Membership in the military conference is open to all flag officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force (any military personnel with the rank of colonel or above). This body has no specified duties besides appointment of Senators. It has one-third veto power. Any Act Of War by the Chancellor must be ratified and approved by the Military Conference. Partisan Breakdown In The House Of Electors The House Of Electors is currently under the control of the Right Coalition as the Majority. This majority is also reflected in the Circularum. The Left Coalition currently enjoys a minority status in both the House Of Electors and the Circularum. Right Coalition (Majority) The Right Coalition in the House Of Electors is currently 531 seats out of 900. The New Conservative Party (NCP) has 351 Electors. The Conservative Centrist Party (CCP) has a membership of 90 Electors. The Free Market Party (FMP) currently seats 67 Electors. The Pro-Life Union (LIFE) currently seats 23 Electors. Left Coalition (Minority) The Left Coalition in the House Of Electors is currently 369 seats out of 900. The Progressive Center Party (PCP) has 300 Electors. The Working Socialists Party (WSP) has a membership of 36 Electors. The Orange Royalist Party (ORP) currently seats 32 Electors. The radical revolutionary Garry DeKoenig holds one independent seat by district election and always caucuses with the minority coalition.